Novelty sign



L. R. SMITH.

NOVELTY SIGN.

APPLICATION man Aus.9,1915.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

amumdoz H m um v Ii ma g a I will LEROY B. SMITH, 0F CHARLOTTE, MICHIGAN.

NOVELTY SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedAng. 15, 1916.

Application filed August 9, 1915. Serial No. 44,537.

To all 10 7mm 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY R. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Charlotte, in the county of Eaton and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Novelty Signs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to advertising signs and more particularly relates to a sign in which fixed letters are adapted to be illuminated in varying colors.

As a principal object, it is contemplated by this invention to provide a novelty sign which shall be adapted to attract attention to the wording by means of a changing cycle of colored lightswhereby each letter is successively illuminated.

It is an object of equal importance with the foregoing to mount the mentioned refractive screen in such a manner within a sign casing as to permit such screen to be rotated by the action of the winds upon suitable fan blades with which the screen is to be provided.

The above and additional objects which will become apparent as this explanatory description proceeds, are accomplished by such means as are illustrated-in the accompanying drawings described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application. I

With reference to the drawings, wherein there is illustrated the preferred embodiment of this invention as it is reduced to practice and throughout the several views of which like characters of reference designate similar parts :Figure 1 is an elevational view of such a sign as is ICOIHPI'G.

hended by the present invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the subject-matter of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view of the interrupting screen, and Fig. 4: is a perspective detail of the screen rotor. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the sign plate showing a modified manner of lettering the same to permit the passage of light therethrough. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view showing a modified form of means for illuminating the sign.

In reducing the present invention to practice, there is employed an inclosing casing 5 for the sign which may be of any desirable configuration although illustrated as a cylinder, since the latter form permits the most compact mounting of the inclosed rotating mechanism. The front face 6 of the sign casing is centrally apertured as indicated at 7 and is provided with integral ears 8 from which the sign may be supported through the medium of chains 9 or in some other equally desirable manner. The face 6 of the sign is also provided with segmental apertures 10 which are arranged at spaced intervals between the central aperture 7 with which they are concentric and the outer edge of such face, communicating directly with the interior of the casing 5.

The central aperture is covered by a plate 11 which is removably maintained thereover through the medium of clips 12 which are secured to the back of the casing front 6 on the portions 13 interrupting the segmental slots 10. This plate carries the'"letterings of the sign and it may be either formed of a transparent material such as glass from a dark background of which the wording of the sign stands out in relief or may if desired be constructed of some light metallic material from which the lettersof the sign are cut out. See Fig. 5. At the central point of this plate there is journaled the cone end of a small shaft let, the opposite extremity of which is journaled in the back plate of the sign casing 5, such shaft serving to mount a rotor1'5. This latter includes the hub 16 and the screen plate 17 and is preferably formed of a light metal.

-The face of this plate immediately behind the sign plate may be variously colored in some such manner as illustrated in Fig. 3 in which there is shown a spiral coloring strip 18 formed of various segments of colors in juxtaposition, like color segments being preferably spaced in any novel or ingeniousmanner adapted to increase the variations of light refractions transmitted by said plate to the sign plate 11.

Means for insuring the rotation of the screen plate 17 in accordance with action of the wind include fan blades 19 which are cut out from the periphery of the screen plate and bent or flanged at right angles thereto, in the manner clearly illustrated in Fig. 4E. The series of these blades form a paddle fan against which the force of the wind may be exerted to move the rotor 15, since it is apparent that the rotor rim bears such relation to the casing as to expose these bladesto the action of the wind through the forward slots 10, while additional lateral slots formed in the sides of the casing 5 permit the rotor to be acted. upon by the wind from this direction also. It will be seen that a rotation of the screen 15 will expose various waves of successive colors to view through the lettering on the sign plate 11 in a continuous cycle permitting the wording of the sign to be so illuminated in such a manner as to attract the at-. tention desired.

If desired, it will be apparent that the sign may be rendered visible in darkness either by'causing a light to fall upon the lettering of the sign plate 11 or by forming the colored strip of the rotor of some such transparent material as glass, instead of p metal, .and inserting illuminating agents bodily within the casing 5 and behind the colored rotor plate. Such construction is shown in Fig. 6, the rotor 15 being formed with a circular slot 25 covered with glass or other transparent material 26 supported from the rotor by clips. On one side of the transparent material the colors are applied as in the preferred form in some transparent medium, or the glass itself may be colored. Behind the rotor are placed the illuminating agents here shown as incandescent bulbs 27.

While in the foregoing, however, there has thus been illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification such combination and arrangement of elements as constitute the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is desired to emphasize the fact that such minor changes in the matters of proportion and degree may be made in later adaptations of this device as shall not alter the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims,

What is claimed is 1. In a sign of the character described, a casing having a central .aperture in its face and a series of slotted openings surrounding said aperture, a sign plate closing said aperture and provided with lettering rendered visible by the passage of light therethrough, and a rotor behind the face of said casing having a peripheral series of blades opposite the slotted openings in said face to be acted on by the wind entering through said openings, and a vari-colored surface within the circle of the blades visible through the lettering.

2. In a sign of the character described, a casing having a central aperture in its face and a series of slotted openings surrounding the said aperture and other openings in sides perpendicular to the face, a sign plate closing said .aperture and provided with lettering rendered visible by the passage of light therethrough, and a rotor behind the face of said casing having a peripheral series of blades opposite the slotted opening in said face and the openings in the other sides of the casing in position to be acted on by the wind entering said openings, and a vari-colored surface within said circle of blades visible through the lettering.

3. In a sign of the class described, a casing formed with lateral slots and with a forward .apertured face, said face being concentrically slotted with respect to said aperture, a sign plate covering the aperture and provided with transparent lettering, a shaft journaled in said plate and said casing, a rotor, carried by said shaft within said casing, a coloring strip arranged upon the face of the rotor for exhibition through the sign plate lettering, and a series of integral fan blades peripherally struck out from the body of the rotor at right angles thereto and in alinement with said lateral and concentric slots for exposure to the action of the wind in driving the rotor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEROY R. SMITH.

Witnesses:

MARION PoR'rnR, J AMES IV. GODFREY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

